In the face of an unprecedented climate and biodiversity crisis, Canada has set bold targets — including conserving 30% of the country’s lands and waters by 2030. Meeting these targets, however, requires a substantial amount of investment into conservation, restoration, and nature-based activities on the ground. Estimates from a Metcalf-funded report suggest Canada requires an additional $20-28 billion CAD investment annually towards nature — about five times the current amount.
The recently launched Nature Investment Hub was created specifically to address this funding gap. It aims to do this by fostering partnerships and creating new pathways for public, philanthropic, and private capital to flow into conservation, restoration, and nature-based solutions — especially Indigenous-led efforts.
Conservation finance uses financial instruments to generate, manage, or deploy capital to achieve nature-positive outcomes. Instruments like green bonds and biodiversity credits are used to incentivize investment in nature-related activities that generate sustained financing and/or positive returns alongside environmental, social and/or cultural benefits. The Hub will strive to develop increased awareness and understanding of conservation finance in Canada by sharing information that will help stakeholders understand if, how, where, and when conservation finance instruments can be applied.
An important focus for the Hub will be promoting conservation finance approaches in Canada that centre Indigenous rights, jurisdiction, and knowledge systems, and support the establishment of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs), Guardians programs, and other Indigenous-led stewardship initiatives. This will be achieved through strong, collaborative partnerships with Indigenous leaders and organizations, rooted in reciprocity.
The Hub is currently seeking partners to join, inform, and engage in its activities, which are set to ramp up in 2024. Indigenous leaders and organizations, private sector investors, governments, philanthropic foundations, NGOs, financial institutions, the insurance sector, the corporate sector, landowners, and other relevant experts are all welcome to join. Partners are asked to help advance the Hub’s mission and objectives by actively participating in meetings and working groups, and proactively sharing relevant research and information with other key stakeholders.
Those interested in joining or supporting the Hub in its effort to shape and deliver on a shared agenda for conservation finance in Canada are encouraged to reach out directly to Courtney Kehoe, Managing Director, at ckehoe@naturalstep.ca.
The Hub is an initiative of The Natural Step Canada in partnership with the Smart Prosperity Institute, and supported by the Echo Foundation and Metcalf.